My Favorite Color
by Yabou
Summary: [COMPLETE] Youkai. Fight. Kill. Survive. Take anything you want, or give everything you have. Red. Turmoil. Strength. Danger. Protection. Be ready to fight to survive, or back away to remember that you're alive... Help...Save me...Kagome.
1. Sticks, Stones, and Black Eyes

A/N: Well, here we go on another song-fic. I really must say that I do enjoy these, and I'm really looking forward to writing/posting this one. Of course its another one of those severe angsty things, you know me. I can't help it. Oh well, no one's complained yet, lol.

In this Section: **Rating – PG-13**. (Sexual Content, Violence, Graphic Descriptions). **Prologue and Part 1**.

Story Disclaimer: Sorry…but I don't own Inuyasha and Co. nor do I own Chevelle's "The Red."

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My Favorite Color

(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")

By: Yabou

Prologue

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Fear.

It easily dominates all over emotions when present in an animal's mind. Every basic instinct gives way for the fight to survive when pushed to the edge. A body surging with the sweet drug of adrenaline does not dare to contend with the silly ideals of logical thought; it simply is the way it is. Human and youkai alike have tried for thousands of years to overcome what some consider a demeaning state of mind, and yet, no one can overcome.

Life.

A burden that all strive to protect and cast away within the same second. Hunt or be hunted, as the story goes. Some hunt while wishing to be hunted whilst others lay prey to their own comrades. A knife in the back. Another cycle of this propaganda they call fate.

Death.

In the end, it is absolute and all-powerful. There is no opting-out and no turning back. Neither human nor youkai can buy their way through it or by-pass the process completely. Hatred for such a elementary step in this complex succession they call life is developed by some for no one can carry the earnings of fertile life into the cold, worm-eaten ground of death. And still, for others this ending is ever so sweet. Release from an existence that is filled with violence and pain is unbelievable nirvana.

Fear of life. Fear of death. Either pathway is unclear, and the taste is always…

Bitter sweet.

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My Favorite Color

(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")

By: Yabou

Part 1 – Sticks, Stones, and Black Eyes

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- They say freak when you're singled out. -

Low-lying brush rustled quietly with the delicate footsteps edging their way toward a small caravan in the distance. The early morning dew his hakama and feet collected as he walked began gathering clumping dirt and mud, making his venture into the camp even more silent than his demonic abilities allowed. Amber eyes flickered in the glow of the small pit fires left burning on the outskirts of the tented masses. Now was crucial, he must remain silent or they would hear.

His ears still burned from his last encounter with the human species. He had mistakenly wondered upon a traveling group of drunken monks passing down a nearby road and asked them for a small parcel of food. They had lashed out and kicked him into the dirt. He could still recall their laughter when he revealed his claws.

Dirty half-breed. Their words of evil still rang in his ears.

_Where is the whore that birthed you?_ The youngest had sneered at him.

Their laughter continued even as one of them brought over a torch and proceeded to light his hair on fire, causing his brilliant, silver strands to be transformed into the short, blackened fringe he now possessed. He had fought back the screams that wrenched through his tiny throat, never would he have allowed them to hear his pleas.

He knew that they had tried their hardest to kill him, and he still could not understand why he had not died. The pain had been overwhelming to his five-year old hanyou body. Laying in the small area of deserted rice yard they had dumped him in, he had sworn that he would die, sworn to release himself from the pain, but…once again, he had healed and was doomed to face another day of hell.

Brushing his ear with a gentle stroke, he held his breath as he neared a yellowing tent and prepared to sneak inside. He could hear low grunting noises of an older man and assumed that the human was only snoring as he had heard so many others do when they were too fat to breathe properly. He could almost envy that snore…those people, they had food enough for themselves and many more, but they were stingy and only cared for themselves and those that brought them what they needed.

The grunting grew louder, and the small child placed a single claw into the tent, piercing it quickly and quietly while creating a peephole. Carefully, he wiped the dirt from the patch surrounding the hole in order to prevent any of it from managing its way into his overly sensitive eyes. He pulled up his red sleeve and used it to wipe the sweat away from his face.

Suddenly, the grunting stopped and he could hear no more from inside of the tent. He froze, allowing only his ears to flicker wildly to pick up any nuance of sound that might signal that he had been discovered. When no sound was made for another few minutes he returned to his work and looked through the slit in the tent.

It was dark inside. The occupants of the room were on a very plump mat near the doorway on the other side of the space; hopefully he could slip in and out without any complications. The room reeked of noxious perfumes, sweat, and body fluids. The small hanyou covered his nose and mouth with the excess of his sleeve in order to prevent himself from retching and waking them up. He would have turned away from the place, but the prospect of food was just too high for his meager body to throw such a perfect opportunity away.

Ever so slowly he slid his claw back into the hole and began pushing it down, creating a small opening for his body. He stopped only a centimeter above the seam, praying that his cut would not be noticed until late in the morning. The darkness of night shrouded his entrance into the room as he looked for anything small that he might be able to carry away swiftly if the need arose. He saw useless pillows and cushions piled up near the bed, blocking his view. Candle stick holders of silver and gold cluttered one mahogany stand that must have been a burden to whatever animal was destined to carry it and the many books and maps that filled its cabinets. Jewels and bobbles lay strewn across a white fur rug nearby like children's toys scattered around a playroom.

Useless. He thought sadly. His nose brought a small satchel in one corner near the bed to his attention. The scent of bread, meat, and fish drew him closer and closer toward the slumbering, fat man. Quickly, he darted toward the bag. With a fast snatch, he began his way back to his hanyou-made opening only to feel a cold steel pressing into his neck.

"Animal," the old man sneered. "What are you doing in _my_ tent?"

Inuyasha froze, his breath caught in a huge lump at his throat.

The man sucked at his teeth and applied pressure with the blade. "Can you not speak, animal? Are you dumb?" He grabbed a mass of the dirtied hair and pulled him into the air. "Se," he yelled out. "Brighten the fire and wake the men. It seems we have a toy to play with tonight."

Afraid. Inuyasha's mind recoiled away from the man. He could see every deep wrinkle set on his massive hands. Piercing black eyes lit with laughter as they watched him struggle to free himself from his grip. His heart sped up and released a dangerous drug into his system.

Adrenaline.

He could feel it beginning to tear through his veins as his body slowly became numb to the chubby, bejeweled fingers ripping out what was left of his hair and ears. Desperately, he fought against the laughing man, but still he could not free himself.

Even while they tied him to the trunk of a large tree and began to spit and urinate on him, he still tried to release himself. He jerked and pummeled against the tree, enabling himself to kick a few of the onslaughts away with his dangling legs. One by one they began picking up small rocks and sticks and throwing them at his exposed body.

All the while, the black-eyed man watched him with a smug look upon his face. He did not spit on him, or throw anything at him, but he was the most frightening. His eyes told a tale of horror and cruelty to anyone he dared to share it with, and Inuyasha felt his fear growing with every glimpse he got of those eternally black eyes.

Finally, the predator neared his prey and all the other men backed away, waiting to see what pain their leader would add to the animal's suffering. "Are you afraid, animal? Can you feel fear?" He moved his hand forward and grabbed Inuyasha's chin between his forefinger and thumb. "Is there any intelligence in that small little brain of yours?" He slowly turned Inuyasha's head from one side to the other, as if looking for any signs outside of his body.

Inuyasha tore head away violently, banging the man's hand between his skull and the tree. The man raised a brow and grabbed his chin again, pressing his nails into the skin of his face and laughed demonically. "No, I guess not. How could an _animal_ ever know anything?"

Inuyasha's eyes filled with hatred as the fat man waddled away, and suddenly…

The world faded to _red_…

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A/N: Very short intro, I know…but you all know how I am…I just can't stand not leaving you on your toes, lol. Anyway, tell me what you think…should I have a go at another song-fic?! By the way, this is a different "style" of fic from my norms…see if you notice what it is…

(I actually am debating on continuing this or not…so let me know if I should…its kind of iffy…)

-_Yabou_

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	2. And the Little Boy Cried

A/N: Well, I'm glad you all are enjoying this, and yes, I do know that it is a tad bit angsty-er than my previous fics…but what can I say? It fits. So, without further ado, I give you "My Favorite Color."

In this Section: Rating: **R** (Violence, Graphic descriptions). You have been warned.

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My Favorite Color

(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")

By: Yabou

Part 2 – And the Little Boy Cried

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- The red, well it filters through –

He scrunched his small, clawed hand convulsively and attempted to wipe his eyes only to find a warm, foul smelling liquid coating every available span of his skin. His eyebrows furrowed in deep confusion as he tried to push his body off of the ground only to have his arms and legs slide out from under him and fall back into a pool of liquid beneath him with a sickening _squish_.

Carefully, he tried again, digging his claws through the thick liquid and into ground under it to prevent another unwanted fall. Somehow the overwhelming smell was trapped inside of his very nose; he could feel the drying liquid inside and knew that the stench was not one that he would soon forget. Using his chin, he nudged his haori off of his shoulder to reveal the softer yukata beneath it. Thankfully, from what he could feel, the vile liquid had not managed to seep through his strong fire-rat's fur.

Inuyasha pulled at the yukata with one hand and used it to wipe away whatever it was that was preventing his eyes from opening. He could feel the layers of crust pulling at his eyelashes even while he persisted in scrubbing it away with the clean fabric. Wiping off his claws, he used their sharp edges to remove the thicker, heavier clumps.

Finally, after several small growls and a few quiet yelps, he opened his eyes…only to be horrified by what he saw.

Blood covered the ground like a winter's first deep snow. The putrid pools were so incredibly thick that the drying grass retained its dulled red color. Nearby rocks carried an ethereal sheen of glistening red with bumpy red and black dried portions that made them look like they could possibly be the key ingredient in some old witch's ancient potion.

Slowly, he managed to push himself to his feet. _What happened here?_ He struggled vehemently and urged his five-year-old brain to remember something…anything. _Those men…they threw things at me…and that man…he had…he had black eyes! Where am I?_ Unconciously, his body turned a slow circle, allowing his innocent eyes to survey the full damage the hillside had taken.

There were remnants of the yellowing tents he had seen last night, and he could barely make out one of the fire pits that had burned so brightly the night before. _If I am still here…then where are the humans?_ A gasp escaped his bruised and bloodied lips.

Dangling high above the ground from the same oak that they had secured him to, were the men that had threatened him. They had ropes, strings, and even clothing tying them to the massive branches by their ankles. His enhanced eyesight could make out the broken bones in every man's body and found that there were few that weren't. The blood flowing from their mouths and limbs was beginning to clot, and the vulture demons readily gathered round to circle their prepared prey.

He wondered what type of terrible creature could cause such harm to those men, even if they had deserved it. There was always a difference between thoughts and actions. His mother had taught him that. Quickly, he managed to stagger away from the scene of the crime using the unobstructed part of his nose to scent the air for a source of water.

He began to feel slightly better when he finished making his way through the masses of blood and entrails piled around the campsite and out into the open, clean grass. The smell of blood had been so heavy in the air that he hadn't even been able to decipher what it was until after he peeled open his eyes.

Pausing at the entrance of a cave hidden from the view of any normal passerby, he tested the air again for wild animals, youkai, and water. Catching hold of only the water's smell, he pushed aside the large, grass-like bushes blocking the opening and walked through a hole that was definitely to small and thick to be capable of housing any larger threats.

He sighed in relief and finally allowed his ears to drop from their alert position on top of his head as he made his way back to a pool of mineral water near the first bend in the cave.

His hand stopped just before it fell to cup the water; he could only stare in shock at what he saw.

His reflection.

His reflection was covered in blood. Everything was covered in blood. His fangs, his claws, his face, his skin. Everything.

One finger dipped to trace the edges of his face in the pool in stunned silence, even the steady drip from the rocks above into the pool faded into the background while his mind reeled. _I did it._ He gagged as the taste of the men's blood sank into his tongue; he couldn't take it. With one heaving gulp, he emptied everything that he had taken from the men.

Their food.

Their blood.

Their flesh.

He tasted every drop of it as it burned his way up his throat and out onto the ground beneath him.

* * *

He jumped to an upright position and nearly lost his balance and fell from his precarious perch up in the treetops, his breath flowing in and out in short, choppy gasps. _A dream._ "Just a dream." He whispered to himself, but still he rolled off of the branch with a little less than his normal fluid grace. His eyes noted the locations of each of his companions before he allowed himself to wander away to the nearby stream. _It was a dream. I'm not five fucking years old anymore. I can deal with this._

His hands splashed violently against the water's surface before he had a chance to get a look at his own reflection; he was still a little afraid of what he might see in it. He could not be completely sure that the five-year-old version of himself that haunted his dreams would not haunt his waking moments as well.

His normally steady hands shook and his splashed soaked not only the skin on his face, but his hair and his clothing too. No matter…it could always dry. _The water always dries quicker than the blood._ He knew that his mind was playing tricks on him, but he could still feel it. He could still feel it drying and crusting and itching. He could still feel the small pieces under his claws that were so difficult to get out.

He could still feel the blood. With every thought, the gentle splashes turned to scrubbing, and then the scrubbing turned to ripping and tearing. He couldn't get it off.

All the blood.

It just wouldn't go away. _Go away. Go away._

"Go away!" He screamed, pushing his hands against the sharp rocks in the bottom of the river until the water began to filter through with wide bands of red.

Then, just as abruptly as it had started, he picked himself up from the riverbed and made his way to slump against the bank in a dazed stupor. _I can't let this happen._ _I have to be strong. It's all so fucking stupid. It's not real anymore!_ "It's not real." He whispered, as if hearing the words would reassure him of something he made no attempt to believe.

"Inuyasha?" A melodious voice called out worriedly from the shelter of the trees. "Inuyasha, are you okay?"

Always worrying. He grunted darkly in response, not really knowing if she could hear and not trusting his voice to not quake when he spoke. _It's not real._

"Inuyasha," she sighed in relief and plopped down beside him on the grass. "Something wrong?"

He grunted again and didn't look at her either, not trusting his eyes not to give away his emotions. They always seemed to have a way of telling her things that he didn't want her to know. Or at least didn't want her to know yet.

"Inuyasha." Her voice held a tint of sadness mixed with anger when he still did not look toward her.

And he couldn't stand it. "What?"

She bit her lip at the croaking sound of his voice, but decided that she wasn't going to gain anything by trying the straightforward method. "It's so beautiful out here." She gasped in awe at the number of the stars in the night's sky.

"What?" He gave her a funny look and laid down completely, Kami knew he could barely even sit straight anymore.

"Well," she prodded. "Don't you think its pretty out?"

Giving her a very dull look and a snort, he rolled over onto his side so that he was facing away. At times like this, it was best not to look at her. "That's stupid, wench."

Kagome rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. _If he's calling me names again then I guess everything is all right._ "You're such a romantic, Inuyasha."

Her only response was another senseless grunt.

Maybe he just needs to be alone. She pushed herself up from the ground and called out a "Sweet dreams, Inuyasha," and headed back toward the campsite.

He grunted again once she was gone, for good measure, and rolled onto his back again to gaze up at the sky. _It's not real._

All the same, the thoughts still poured over his soul as soon as he was completely alone again. He could see the small boy staring at him through a tainted pool of stale mineral water in a cave out in the middle of nowhere. He could feel the blood coating his skin in the same places that it had on the child. _It's not real_. He tried to remind himself. He really did, but there was no use.

He remembered that after all the trauma of that night and that morning he had done the only thing a small, frightened boy could possibly think to do.

He cried.

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A/N: Well, so far so good? …Who knows…

-_Yabou_

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	3. Blood in One Hand, A Heart in the Other

A/N: **(Interested in stories of mine that aren't here anymore? READ THIS!!!) **Well, it seems like I'm making pretty good progress with this chapter and still managing to keep up with "Joined." That was the problem with "Secret," once I started writing it, it kind of took over.

Not that that was necessarily a bad thing…but I've decided to retire **"Secret"** until I have the time to completely finish it. It's one of those stories that you have to write in one sitting…not in the 15 minutes you have between everything else that's going on. So, no worries, "Secret" will return…eventually.

As for **"Warrior-Race,"** there are no worries at all there. In case you haven't checked my bio lately (which I just updated) it will return new and improved as soon as the last two chapters of "Joined" have been posted.

Anyway, now on with the story! Sorry for the long A/N.

In This Section: Rating – **R**. (Violence, Language, Graphic Content).

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My Favorite Color

(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")

By: Yabou

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Part 3 – Blood in One Hand, A Heart in the Other

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- So lay down -

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It was happening all over again. Just like when he was five. Just like when had faced Goshinki. Just like when he had faced that awful spider demon.

It was all happening again.

He could feel the demon blood inside of him raging to the point of madness. It wanted out. And he wanted it to stay in…not that he really had much of a choice in the matter.

He looked toward his sword on the other side of the spacious, and once beautiful, courtyard. No it wouldn't be too much longer now.

Everything had been so perfect that day; he should have guessed that something would go wrong as soon as he let his guard down. It always happened.

They had come across a small collection of hot springs in the middle of nowhere around mid-afternoon, and of course, Kagome had done everything in her power to get him to stay, mainly four sits before she began crying. Of course, he had led her to believe that the consecutive face plants she was giving him were the reason, not a set of misty eyes.

After the girls had been thoroughly cleaned, they had decided that they were comfortable just where they were for the night and refused to budge a step further. Being the only ones who actually had a choice in what the group did, the girls had gotten their way, and they had all settled in for the night.

From what Inuyasha could guess, the vulture youkai had flown in right before midnight, but he couldn't really tell. And that was what disturbed him the most. This vulture youkai had no scent at all. Or rather, it was covering its scent very well.

Its body was covered with a flurry of gray and black feathers that ran in random patterns. This fact alone led Inuyasha to believe that it was a mutt. The vulture races were known for their multiple partners, and they didn't exactly mind if they bred with their own class or not, not that many did these days.

The creature's red, beady eyes provoked him. He couldn't understand why, but he could feel the laughter in its eyes. The only thing that he was sure of in his mind was that he wanted that laughter gone.

Inuyasha also knew that he was allowing those eyes to get to him far too much. It wasn't safe; the vulture was distracting him in order to prevent any of the strikes coming from his vicious claws from hitting the animal's weak body.

"Damn." He cursed when the animal dodged his next attack and watched a few feathers swirl up into the air. _This isn't working._ _I have to get Tetsusaiga._

With his thoughts and emotions barely holding on, he pushed his legs, full throttle, into the demon's back, enjoying the slight crack he heard afterward. _I'm almost there. Almost there._ He bounded across the open courtyard, silently willing the youkai to grow tired so that he might reach his weapon first.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed out, the panic in her voice overriding everything else in the area. "Watch out, _Inuyasha_!"

A moment flashed blank in his mind's sight.

And then the pain finally sunk in. Looking back, he could how the vulture had managed to spear through his hip on the right side, forcing the bone through a ruptured piece of skin. _Fuck._ He growled loudly and watched while the vulture began tearing away pieces of his flesh bit by bit and devouring them as if they were ambrosia.

"Inuyasha!" He heard her cry out again; her voice was filled with agony and pain. The thick smell of salt from her tears burned at his nose, and he felt it starting to take over.

No, fuck, no! Flailing his limbs against the razor-sharp beak, he fought to break free. _I have to get Tetsusaiga!_

_

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- The threat is real -

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_

It was there. He could feel it surging to take over his body. The demon blood ravaged his mind, warning him that he could die. Telling him that she could die…

Red… his eyes flashed dangerously at the creature.

Amber… he had to stop it. _I have to get Tetsusaiga._

Red… he could kill it. It wouldn't take that long. He could kill it, and then his demon blood would pass away. _Kill_.

Amber… _No. No. No._ He couldn't let it. It would hold on until it did damage elsewhere. He could hurt Kagome. He _would_ hurt Kagome if he allowed it to control his body for even one second.

Red… _Kill._

_

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- When his sight goes red again –

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_

Letting loose a guttural roar, he turned on the vulture and dug his claws through the animal's beak, shattering it into thousands of pieces in an instant._ Kill…_

_

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_

- Seeing red again –

* * *

His free hand crashed into the back of the animal's neck, breaking it sloppily before both he and the animal fell down into the ground. He regained his composure quickly and began to mimic the vulture's earlier actions, ripping pieces free from its skin and chewing upon them greedily.

* * *

- Seeing red again –

* * *

Threat gone. He pulled away and stared down at the half-eaten corpse. _Pack_. Glancing around, he scrunched his eyebrows at the worried and frightened looks pasted onto their paling faces. 

"I-Inuyasha?" Kagome reached toward him with one hand and began slowly walking his way. "Inuyasha, everything is all right now. You can calm down. It's all over."

He knew that she held his sword in the hand she hid behind her back; he almost laughed at the fact that she thought she was hiding it well. Narrowing his eyes, he growled at her, slowly backing away in a crouched position.

"No, Inuyasha, don't-." She took another step and tripped, managing to yell out an "osuwari" during the fall. Slamming the weapon into his arms, she was pulled away by the demon huntress and the monk.

Sango and Miroku preoccupied her with the finding of the shard while they took over the duty of picking up the unconscious hanyou and carrying him back toward their camp, just outside of the abandoned mansion where they had stumbled upon that nasty creature.

The young miko's eyes wandered away from the task at hand and back to the hanyou's still body. _Shards. Shards. There's so many of them. Kami-sama, please let him be all right._ She let out a disgusted noise as the blood sizzled nastily on the shard in her hand.

"K'gome?" Inuyasha coughed heavily.

Shoving the new shards into the vial, she ran to his side. "Inuyasha? Inuyasha? Are you okay? Wake up, Inuyasha."

"K-Kagome?" His eyes fluttered opened.

Her expression nearly ripped his heart out of his chest. _What happened?_ The others surrounded him quickly, all eyes staring with the same pitifully sad and mournful gleam. "Oi," he grunted softly. "Who died?"

Shippou squeaked loudly and buried himself deep within the comforts of Kagome's arms. Sango's hand tightly squeezed Miroku's even as a tear slipped down her cheek.

All the while, Kagome smiled softly and helped the hanyou into a sitting position. "Nothing, Inuyasha. Everything is fine now. You just gave us all a scare. It's okay now."

He grunted in response, but silently gave her a questioning look.

She shook her head and made a signal toward the sky and then the woods.

He nodded curtly and hoisted himself off the ground. They would talk later after the others had gone to bed.

Kagome rose and left to help Sango in preparing the evening meal; Inuyasha watched her back the entire way. _Why couldn't she tell me now? Did I…Did I pass out while I was fighting the vulture? _His eyes widened. _Did they have to kill it without me? Was someone injured?_

He sniffed around the campsite for any blood scents, but he was happy with the fact that the only one he found was his own.

Shippou perched on his knee. "What are you looking for?" The question was posed with such an intense child-like innocence that Inuyasha knew it was only to serve as a distraction. A quick look at Kagome confirmed it. She was staring at them, so this had been her plot. _Why the hell is she trying to distract me?_

"I was just looking to see if anyone was hurt." He grunted back. _I can't believe I'm going along with this. If she wasn't…_

"Nobody got hurt, except you." The fox-child fidgeted nervously and played with the tips of his tail.

"Oi, why are you fidgeting?"

"I'm not fidgeting." Shippou pouted.

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not!" His tiny tail ruffled. "I'm doing a good job!"

Inuyasha smirked. "Good job?"

Shippou gasped and scurried to a safe distance. "Nothing!" And then he disappeared into the depths of Kagome's bag.

Growling loudly, Inuyasha turned away from the campsite and slumped against the base of a large tree. _What are they all protecting so damn hard? If I can't get it out of that little brat, the other ones won't tell me unless they think its "for my own good."_

Rolling his eyes, he pushed himself to his feet at Kagome's dinner call. _She's going to tell me soon whether she likes it or not. I'll wait until the others are asleep, but I'm not going along with any of this other bullshit. She'll tell me later whether she likes it or not. I can't believe that she'd keep something from me. How long have they been hiding it? It could be something from today…but what if they've been hiding it for a long time? What could be that important?_

Punching a tree for good measure, he reveled in the loud cracking sound it made and ignored the confused stares from his companions.

Kagome handed him a large bowl of ramen after a moment's hesitation. "Something wrong, Inuyasha?"

Narrowing his eyes, he yanked the bowl away and grumbled, "Not a damn thing, bitch."

Okay…so it was an under-handed, dirty thing to do, but the least he could do to make the time until dark go by faster was to start an argument. After all, Kagome was always very cute when she argued.

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A/N: So, this chapter takes on a different tone, ne? Yes, it's the beginning of change…after all…if something's going to change it has to start somewhere.

By the way, if you enjoyed this story and haven't read them yet, **Now and Then** and **Lost** are also song-fics. Lost follows this angsty style, and Now and Then follows the same format.

-_Yabou_

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	4. What Only a Whisper Can Say

**A/N:** My, been a while? Well, the season is over now, successfully I might add. And, I am glad to say that I may return my focus to more pleasurable subjects – such as my writing.

I'm also very happy to announce that I will be soon hosting a website. It's been a work in progress for a very long time now, and I'm glad to say that it is nearly ready to be viewed and used by the public. (Now if only other things would come so easily.)

I'm ready to be finished with Joined, but I must say that it isn't ready to be finished with me. The battle scenes are giving me some trouble. I just can't decide exactly what is happening. Also, I've been going back and editing all the previous chapters which is giving me one major migraine…What can I say…I'm a perfectionist…or at least I try to be when it comes to grammatical errors, etc. **Rolls her eyes** Well, I do try…I promise, lol. I can just see some of my closer friends shaking their heads at that.

Now, on we go!

Yabou

**Rating: PG-13** (Language) **Part 4**

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**My Favorite Color**

_(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")_

_By: Yabou_

**_Part 4 – What Only a Whisper Can Say_**

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_This change, he won't contain._

* * *

Dinner had finally passed after what seemed like hours of confused looks and shrugged shoulders between his companions. He waited anxiously in the widespread branches of a tree and watched as Miroku patted Kagome on the back in his own perverted form of comfort. Their words were too low for even his keen hearing to understand and that annoyed him to no end.

Inuyasha watched as she pulled her feet through the thick grass, lost in deep contemplation. _How much fucking longer can she take?_ His claws pressed into the bark's hardwood, leaving small indentions, as he held himself in the branch's confines. _What happened?_

Kagome came to a slow stop at the bottom of his perch. She hadn't even needed to look up to find him. She could always tell. "Inuyasha." Her voice wavered with a small note of fear.

Now was not the time to argue. He didn't know why he couldn't gather one nasty comment, but as soon as he heard his name roll off of her tongue a lump formed at the base of his throat and left him unable to speak.

Jumping down, he set in slow stride beside her as she walked further away from any possible prying ears. He took careful notice at the way she flipped the hem of her light gray sweatshirt between her blunt nails. She moved from the adjustments on her shirt to brushing imaginary dust off of the dark blue jeans she wore. _What do I say? How do I tell him what happened? How can he not remember? …It's getting so much worse now. He can't even see it._

A quick glance over at her companion revealed that he was staring blankly at her fidgeting hands. She smiled nervously and tucked her thumbs into her pockets before returning her view to the ground in front of them. _Should I even tell him? What good will it do? He'll torment himself over it when there's nothing he could have done. He's made himself stronger than the blood locked away in his sword…and Toutousai says that there's nothing else that can be done. How can I tell him that he failed?_

She sniffled weakly and allowed her shoulders to slump into a hopeless position. So much time had come and gone, they weren't the same people that they used to be.

A small and rueful smile crossed her face when she felt the soft fabric of his haori draping across her. _He worries so much. Why should I add this to the burdens he already carries? I don't even know if I can._

She heard a sigh pass over his lips and smiled again. Memories of childish arguments crossed her mind like flashes of light. She remembered a time when they couldn't even stand to be anywhere near each other with out battling it out, and now…now they could just be content with the peaceful silence passing between them. It was odd to think back on their fumbled beginning.

And yet, she giggled to herself, even though seven years had passed since the time she had first stumbled into the bottom of the well and into this hectic way of living, they still managed to fight over anything they dared. Now, arguments were tempting and playful. Now, nearly every heated word ended in the young miko bursting into a fit of giggles with him rolling his eyes and making some smart-ass comment.

Yes, times were good. She sighed relentlessly and plopped down into the soft grass. Walking was getting her nowhere. She needed to settle this here and now before the hanyou beside her actually did get irritated.

Inuyasha stood for only a moment before he too succumbed to the all too inviting bedding beneath them. "You'd better be glad I have a good nose, bitch. With all you'd have known, we could've walked right into a youkai, and you never would've known a thing."

She stuck her tongue out at him before throwing some grass at him. "I was thinking. I'm allowed, aren't I?" He quirked and eyebrow and opened his mouth to respond. She lurched at him and covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't answer that."

Grunting loudly, he lightly pushed her back on to the ground beside him. "I thought you would say that."

She laughed for a moment and playfully slapped him on the arm. "You're terrible."

He was about to respond when her countenance regressed to her earlier mood. His mouth shut with an audible click as he leaned back into the grass. _I'm obviously not going to get anything out of her if she keeps on doing this all night long. _Choosing the much more direct approach, he poked her sharply in the side.

"Ow!" Kagome yelped. "What'd you do that for?"

"Is there something you wanted to tell me or are we going to just sit here all night?" He waved his arms through the air to emphasize his point.

She could see the slight tick of his eyebrow as he spoke and decided that she had kept him waiting long enough. _It won't go away by not saying anything. I just have to spit it out._ "I-." Her mouth clamped shut again.

"You-," he drawled.

"Right." She scratched the back of her head and wondered where exactly she should start the conversation. "Inuyasha, we've been through a lot, haven't we?"

He frowned at her obvious dodge of the topic she wanted to talk about, but answered anyway. "Yeah. I guess so."

"I mean… We're a lot different now, aren't we?" She craned her head back so that she could read his expression more clearly.

He frowned at her. "What do you mean… _different_?"

She shrugged and put her head down. "I dunno. Just… _different_." She looked back up at him with tears glistening in her eyes.

He growled at the first tear that dared to trail down her cheek. "Yeah. I guess we're different."

She smiled weakly. He hated it so much when she cried, but she couldn't help it. "Is it better now, Inuyasha? Is it better now, or was it better then?"

His frown deepened. "What do you mean, now or then? What now? What then? What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean. Was it better before I came, Inuyasha? Was it better then or now?" Another tear rolled away.

"Of course it's better now." He responded without hesitation.

She bit her lip. She really wanted to believe him, but he didn't know what he was saying. "How can you be sure? It might've been a mistake, you know. A very big mistake."

His claws dug into the dirt. What was she saying? She was confusing him, and he didn't like that at all. _How am I supposed to fix something if she won't tell me what the hell is wrong?_ "What's wrong, Kagome?" There was a pleading note to his voice, and it only made her start to cry harder.

She gasped viciously for a calming breath of strength. _What am I supposed to do?!_ This wasn't right. He didn't deserve this. None of them did. "I-I'm af…"

"What?" He nearly jumped when she finally spoke. She was really scaring him now. He had definitely missed something.

She sniffled and whispered, "I'm afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid, Inuyasha. I'm so scared." She hiccupped.

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her body toward his. "Afraid of _what_?"

"I'm afraid for you, Inuyasha. I'm afraid _for_ you." Her crying had subsided, but her body still shook with the aftershock of her sobs.

He tried to act casual about the comment. "Why have you got to be afraid for me? You should worry about yourself, being so weak and all."

She nearly laughed. Nearly. "Inuyasha, it's not working. It's not holding, but it's really not your fault. It can't be. There's got to be something else that we can do. I won't believe that we've just got to let it stay this way."

"What? Wait. What are you talking about now? What do you mean?" He was now passing confusion and entering some new level of misunderstanding.

"The sword, Inuyasha. It's the sword. Tetsusaiga." Her words died away more and more with every syllable.

"Tetsusaiga?" Something was wrong with his sword? Why hadn't he noticed? There couldn't be anything wrong with it. He would have had to see something if it had been different, and the only time he had ever recalled any fluctuations in the barriers around Tetsusaiga had been right before…

_Before it all went red._

* * *

_PS:  Expect the ending of Joined to come within the next week.  Editing it now._

_ Yabou_


	5. Get Away

**A/N:** Only one thing to say: **KgurL9034 – **Your wish is my command…

--

**My Favorite Color**

_(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")_

_By: Yabou_

**_Part 5 – Get Away_**

--

Slip away to clear your mind 

--

The only thing that he could feel was the wind whipping through his hair. The only things he could here were his feet as they pounded against the fall leaves and propelled him further away from the girl he was leaving behind. _What am I supposed to do?_

He had struggled with the thought she had given him to chew on. He had asked her about it, and he had practically begged her to tell him that she was lying. She just had to be. It couldn't be any other way.

He couldn't take knowing that he had failed. He couldn't stand the fact that all of his hard work and strength had went down the drain. All of his hope had just died with the look of pity trapped within Kagome's eyes.

How could he hope for anything now? His plans had been thwarted by his stupid demon blood. That's what it was now. He didn't care about the Shikon no Tama. He didn't care about the new moon. He didn't care to change.

She didn't want him to.

And within a single look, his entire world had come crashing down like flood in the middle of a god-forsaken desert. He ignored the branches snatching at his skin and hair and forced his body faster. He wanted to be as far away from them as physically possible.

_What if-?_ No. It wouldn't happen. He wouldn't allow it. He would go to the other side of Japan if need be, but he would do everything that it took to stay away. _To keep her safe._

A large thorny vine caught him stiffly in the side. He disregarded the ache in his chest and dismissed it as another unwanted weakness. That's all he could ever be. _Weak._ He scoffed and allowed one hand to clutch the blood-soaked side.

His breathing was becoming more ragged as the blood loss began to affect his body. _Weak_. He growled in a low, disgusted tone. His hand flexed against the sword. How could he risk changing into…into _that_ again? The answer was simple.

He couldn't. _I can't._

Meekly, he slumped against the nearest tree and bowed his head in shame. _I should have known. I should have never even allowed-._ He sighed. _It was a weakness. It was all a weakness._

His eyes closed against the pain, and he told himself that it was only the one in his side. It definitely was not his blackened heart that was aching so badly. The throbbing pain that nearly blinded him was only a physical ailment. It would be solved by morning. _Unlike other problems._

His heart whispered that she would follow. No matter what; she would always come to him. _She always has._

His eyes narrowed. _I can't allow it. She has to stay away. _His hand tightened around the hilt of his blade. _She has to realize what a…a monster I can become. I am a demon, and she is only a weak little girl. She just doesn't realize._ He sighed, not believing any of his own reasoning.

_She'll find me before morning._

The steady beat of his heart against his ribcage lulled him into a dream-like trance. Well, that and the blood loss that was finally taking its toll. Slowly, his head fell to one side, and he dozed fitfully underneath the huge oak.

--

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out into the inky darkness as she ran off in the direction he had fled. "Inuyasha, where are you?"

She struggled to tamp her fears down and think clearly. _Where did he go? I don't understand why he always runs away whenever something like this happens. Doesn't he see that we all want to help him any way we can? It's not just his problem._

She nearly passed out at the heavy amounts of blood smeared across a wicked vine. Her hand reached out and touched the sticky liquid while her brain began compiling as many deadly scenarios as it could. _What happened? _"Inuyasha!" She yelled and began following the blood trail.

It didn't take long for her to stumble upon his body laid out beneath a tree. _Is he-? No. _"You can't be dead." She kneeled down at his side and cautiously touched her hand to his cheek. "Inuyasha?" _His skin is clammy._

Her eyes pooled with tears as she checked for a pulse. _There!_ He had a strong, steady pulse. _But how?_ "Inuyasha?" A single finger ran along his jaw line to his chin.

He mumbled something incoherently and turned his head to the other side.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice steadied, grasping his chin between her thumb and forefinger.

"Hmm…?" He tried to pull his face away, but she held firm.

"Inuyasha." She shook his shoulder with her free hand. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Her brow furrowed when he still refused to wake. It wasn't like him to just…to just _fall asleep_. He was always awake and alert, especially out in the middle of nowhere.

"Huh?" His eyes barely opened. "W-what?"

"Inuyasha." Kagome placed both of her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward. "Inuyasha, you've got to wake up now."

He shook his head and tried to clear away the fog, but it quickly settled back over his mind. "I-I'm trying." He grunted.

Now she was beginning to worry all over again. "I'm going to look at your wound, Inuyasha. Okay? I think you may have been poisoned by that vine-tree."

He weakly nodded and moved an arm to give her easier access to the cut. "I-it's nothing."

She frowned. He wasn't even fighting against it this time. Something was definitely wrong. Examining the scrape, it looked more like a burn or a rash than it did a slice. _How strange._ Careful not to touch anything with her own hands, she took the handkerchief from her pocket and touched the "rash."

She gasped when a large amount of red powder came off of his flesh and onto the cloth. _Oh no._ "I-Inuyasha." She tried not to let him hear the worry in her voice. "I'm going to look at that tree for one second, and then I'll be right back. Please, don't move."

He nodded again.

"And, Inuyasha." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Whatever you do, don't go back to sleep. Please, do anything else just don't go to sleep."

With his forced reply, she ran the short distance back to where she had seen the blood-covered vine-tree. _What?_ She looked around the area in confusion. There were the rocks she had tripped over every step of the way. And, there was the bush of poisonous berries she had been sure to avoid.

She could also see the same crow sitting high up in the branches of another tree, but…the vine-tree was gone. Carefully, she searched the ground and was horrified to find the red powder covering the area. Except…there were a set of slithering marks going away from the area. _No._

Turning quickly on her heel, she ran back to Inuyasha's side. _What did Kaede say about the ivy demon? What did she teach me about its poison? Urgh! Remember, remember. Think!_ Looking over her shoulder just to make sure, she fell down against the tree he was leaning on. She was glad that he was avoiding going back to sleep.

"Inuyasha?" She turned and put one hand on his shoulder. "We're going to have to move away from here. We're too close to the ivy demon right now. We have to get away from all of this red powder."

He frowned but nodded in compliance. Throwing his arm around her shoulder, she began leading him in the opposite direction. They had to get further away. _I don't know how far he can go like this. That poison is really potent, and he's practically bathed in it._

Inuyasha struggled against the haze as they hobbled toward some unknown destination in the distance. He could feel it sinking deeper into his bones and fought with all of his strength to overpower it, even if just for a moment. He had to warn her. He had to tell her to get away from him before he lost control again. But his body felt so heavy and lethargic, and the thought of sleep sounded so good.

Kagome bit her lip to keep back the tears when she felt his body going limp beside her own. _He's dying._ She allowed her body to collapse against a large rock formation, and the tears began to follow against her own bidding. "Where should we go? I can't just leave him out here in the open like this. The demons will come and finish him off before morning."

Her hands fell heavily against the moss covering the rock, but one hand didn't stop like it should have. It continued on into what looked like a tiny cave. Her eyes widened as she moved the foliage away to look into the tiny room. Old straw was piled in one corner, and the steady dripping told her that there was a mineral stream inside.

With the last of her strength, she wrapped her arms around the hanyou's waist and pulled him into the safety of the cave. It was well hidden by the tall grasses and would serve them well until he could be moved again. As soon as his body was laid out on the straw, she removed his haori and yukata so that she could see the full damage done by the vine-tree.

Tossing some of the water from the pool up onto her handkerchief, she wiped as much of the red powder off as possible before rinsing it off and starting in a new area. She knew that there was only so much that she could really do since it had already been able to get into his blood without having to sink through his skin, but she prayed that it was enough.

After thoroughly cleaning his upper body, she washed the red fire-rat's fur, which had the thickest layer of poison on it. _Kaede said that the vine-tree is a very rare form of ivy demon. It captures its prey by spraying large amounts of a red poison into the air, which numbs the prey into a dream-like state. Then, the vine is able to coil itself around the animal and inject a second poison directly into the skin that acts as a catalyst between the blood and the red powder._

A tear rolled down her cheek when she remembered the last part of the lesson. _Most smaller demons will die within twenty-four hours of the injection._ "Inuyasha," she put the soaked haori up to dry and moved back to his side. "You can't die on me."

"Kagome," Kaede lifted the red powder in front of her face. "Do you know why I can touch this without being harmed?"

_"Um…" Kagome blushed for being caught not paying attention. "No?"_

_Kaede laughed. "It is because I am a miko, child. Our blood is different from that of a demon and that of a human."_

_"What does that mean?" Kagome propped her head up on her hands, finally interested in the subject._

_The old woman smiled and put the powder away. "It means that our blood is the cure for this particular wound."_

"What?" The younger miko crinkled her nose at the prospect of how such a cure would be administered.

"Injection." Kagome looked at Inuyasha's face. He began tossing and turning in his sleep. "Don't worry, Inuyasha." Kagome picked up one of his hands and held it against the palm of her hand. "I'll save you this time." She moved one of the dagger-like claws against her skin and winced when the blood began to pool.

Laying his arm back on the ground, she pressed her injured hand against the wound and began rubbing it in small circles, making sure to cover the area completely. Her eyes watched the progress meticulously, looking for any sign of change.

When she was satisfied that it was completely covered, she wrapped the cleaned handkerchief around her own hand. Brushing a few sweat-soaked strands of silver hair away from his face, she couldn't help leaning forward and lightly touching her lips to his forehead.

She was pleased to find his skin cool beneath her mouth. He would be okay. He had to be. He had to be. With a small sigh in the back of her throat, she moved to curl up in the corner of the cave, but found herself trapped by a hand.

His eyes were staring weakly at her, and his voice was so low that she couldn't tell if she'd heard him say something or not. "W-what?" She moved closer to hear him better.

"Stay." It was only one word. She tried to convince herself that the fever had went to his head, but as she had experienced only moments before, he didn't have a fever anymore. So, with a small nod she laid down in the straw and allowed him to wrap his arm around her waist as he fell back into a much lighter sleep.

--

**A/N:** Little fluff? Yeah…More to come...hehehehe.

_Yabou_


	6. In Death's Embrace

**A/N:** Well, I know its been a while, but it took me longer than I thought to edit it.

* * *

**My Favorite Color**

_(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")_

_By: Yabou_

**_Part 6 – In Death's Embrace_**

* * *

****

_When asked, what made it show…_

* * *

"Inuyasha?" Kagome placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him none too gently. "Inuyasha, wake up. You're shaking."

His body convulsed sharply against her own and quickly jerked away. She frowned and pressed the back of her hand against his forehead to find it hot and damp. '_What's wrong? Shouldn't the process have worked by now?'_ Her mind reeled to remember some extra scrap from Kaede's lesson, but there wasn't any more to be found.

"Inuyasha?" She nudged him again.

"Hn?" he grunted and tried to curl in on himself.

"No." Her fingers gripped his arms and slammed him flat onto the cold stone floor. "Inuyasha." She tried to keep her tone firm and unwavering.

He growled at her and scrunched his eyes shut.

"Oh, no you don't." Slipping one of her knees on either side of his thighs, she leaned against him and put her lips to his ear. '_Please Kami, let him wake up!'_ "Inuyasha!"

Whimpering, he slowly opened his eyes. "W-what?" his voice was weak and the harsh tones rushed across her face like a stale gust.

Tears threatened to pour at the sound of his voice collapsing with every heave of his chest. "I-Inuyasha?" she couldn't help but whisper back.

He blinked and gave her a confused look, obviously wondering why she was only an inch or two away from his face. He grunted. "What?"

She couldn't take it. There was only so much stress one person was meant to take, and her limit was far beyond overdue.

Her heart leapt into her throat and refused to be tamped back down. Her arms wound their way through his hair as she pressed against him and began to weep sloppily into his chest.

"K-Kagome?" The shock was overly obvious when he remained frozen beneath her.

"What?" she cried.

"Uh…"

"I can't do it, Inuyasha. It's not working!" Her hands weakly accented her words by digging into his back.

Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her back and wondered what to do in the situation he had awoken to. "Um…"

"What else am I supposed to do? Kaede didn't tell me anymore!"

"Sshhh." He whispered, silently hoping that she would get a little farther away from his exceedingly sensitive ears.

She sniffled a little and drew back to look into his eyes. "Do you remember, Inuyasha? Do you remember what happened?"

He frowned at her and tried to think back to the day before. Flashes of Kagome's face and trees passed through his mind. Then, he saw a branch, and he remembered going to sleep beneath a tree. '_Kagome.'_ He looked into her eyes, silently pleading that it wasn't true.

He turned his head away in shame. There were tears in her eyes, again, and he had been the one to put them there.

Again.

"Inuyasha." He didn't quite understand how her voice could be so soothing and so annoying all at the same time. He didn't want the sadness that he knew she felt for him. He didn't want her to feel obligated to comfort him like she didn't.

He didn't want her to feel like she _had_ to do anything.

But she did.

"Keh." He refused to look at her. He knew that one glance into those endless blue-gray orbs would be the end of his black heart. He had already let her go to far. She had managed to find a crack that was still left behind from his mother's gentle care and had deepened it for all she was worth.

And she was worth a lot. '_The world.'_

"Inuyasha." She leaned her head against his shoulder, her arms still tangled in his silver tresses. "Do you remember the ivy youkai?"

_'Youkai?'_ He looked over her body for any sight of injuries and unintentionally locked himself in her stare. "Oh."

Kagome suddenly felt the strong urge to gulp down gallons of air, but she found her body unable to respond. Her eyes slowly trailed over the small sweat trails trickling their way down his forehead and into his eyes. Unconciously, she brushed a few away before they got a chance to sting such precious amber orbs.

Inuyasha shivered violently beneath her. Something felt…_wrong._ "Kagome?" His hand slipped away from her back and clenched tightly at his side.

"Inuyasha?" She quickly pressed her fingers against the pulse point in his neck only to finding it racing unsteadily. "What's wrong?"

"Nnn," his head snapped sharply to one side, and a cold sweat broke out against the surface of his forehead.

_'No. What did I do wrong?'_ Crawling off of his body, she could only stare at his shaking form.

* * *

_The truth he can't send to most…_ _

* * *

_

"_Kagome?" Inuyasha called out into the vast distance of monochromatic abandon. "Where am I?"_

_A force of air abruptly pushed him off to one side, sending sickening chills up the base of his spine. "Calling for your little, concerned friend, Hanyou?" A booming voice rang out from the gust._

_"What the fuck?" Inuyasha twisted his head violently for any location of a body attached to the sound. "Who are you?" His hand sought out the hilt of his sword against his hip, only to find it missing._

_"Now, now." The voice chastened. "There is no need for violence, Hanyou. Simply turn your weak body over to me and all shall be well."_

_"Like hell I will." Instead, he cracked his knuckles and prepared his claws for action._

_"That won't be necessary either." Another gust of wind wrapped around his body and began squeezing tighter and tighter, until there was barely any air left in his lungs._

_"You," Inuyasha let out a whispery gasp. "It's you, isn't it? You're that ivy demon that attacked me."_

_"Well, you aren't such a stupid Hanyou after all, now are you?" He could feel a set of eyes burning through his skin even as a giant _

_

* * *

_

_So lay down, the threat is real_

_

* * *

_

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice was weary and heavy. He had laid, unmoving, for the better half of an hour.

"Grrr." A low, eerie sound reverberated throughout his chest and sent chills down her spine. That wasn't a noise she had ever heard him make before.

"Inuyasha?" She reached out to touch his forehead but was stopped with a clawed hand grabbing her wrist.

"Bitch." The voice continued.

"Inu," a slap sounded as the transformed demon slammed her against the cave wall.

"How dare you try to get rid of me."

Kagome moved to speak, but she merely gasped at what she saw. The hanyou now held the features of his full demon form, but a shocking set of forest green eyes replaced his own.

"You are inferior," he paused to scent the air and continued with a demonic smirk. "Miko."

"I-I…What have you done to Inuyasha?"

"Done?" He laughed. "I have killed him, bitch."

Heavy tears began to roll down her cheeks. "No!"

"Could you expect any less from a hanyou, Miko? Why place your trust in such a lowly creature?" The possessed began to stalk his way toward her; trapping his prey in a corner.

"No…No, it's not true! Inuyasha wouldn't leave me!" She cried out.

"Oh, but he had no other choice. I infected his veins and destroyed his soul. He is no more. I am far to powerful to be defeated by one such as yourself. I know the ways of the spiritual ones." He placed a hand upon her cheek and caressed it with his thumb.

"You could be great, Miko. Do you not see the insignificance of your existence now? I could show you great things. You are a pretty one. Such weak power as you have is wasted. You could have much more."

"I won't be taking anything from you. Thanks." She gritted her teeth and slammed one knee into his ribcage, silently praying that it didn't hurt the real Inuyasha.

He doubled over in unexpected pain and let out a loud roar. "How dare you threaten the great one!"

His hand lashed out to claw her face, but he paused in mid air and began gasping for breath. "No," he hissed. "Die hanyou! Die!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed and launched herself at the attacker. "Snap out of it, Inuyasha!"

A slow stream of green blood began to roll out of the demon's mouth.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Inuyasha! You let him go you…you, bastard!" Her tiny fists began to glow a vibrant blue as she pounded against the collapsing youkai.

_

* * *

_

_When his sight goes red again…_

_

* * *

_

The green ooze began to stain to a dark red. His eyes shined with a vibrant shade of crimson.

"K-Kagome?" The word was slow to form and weighted on his lips.

"Inuyasha!" She sobbed, throwing her shaking body into his chest.

One armed wrapped carefully around her as the other touched his blood stained mouth.

_

* * *

_

_Seeing red again, seeing red again_

_

* * *

_

**-_A/N:_**_ One more section to go…I posted this the other day, but it wouldn't come up…oh well, doing it again…. I'll post the second section in an hour or two. (EPILOGUE)_

_-Yabou_


	7. Truth in Shades of Red

**A/N: **It's been great working on this one. I love it to death, but all good things must come to an end.

* * *

**My Favorite Color**

_(A song-fic to Chevelle's "The Red")_

**By: Yabou**

**_Part 7 – Truth in Shades_**

* * *

_Seeing red again, seeing red again_

* * *

Inuyasha collapsed with the sobbing miko against the wall. Kagome slowly touched the beautiful red blood glistening on his fingertips. The color had never seemed so vibrant, so alive.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned his state of awareness. "Are you okay?"

He let out a weak "keh" and held her closer. "I'm fine. Are you okay, Kagome?"

She could see the questions darting through his eyes before he even began to ask them. "You didn't hurt me, Inuyasha." She slipped her hand into his. "You would never hurt me."

He stared deafly for at moment at the blood her pale white hand was covering. "How can you be so sure of everything?"

"What do you mean?" She nearly laughed at the hilarity of his remark. "I'm not so sure of anything anymore. You're the one who always seems so certain. It…it scares me, sometimes."

"Scares you?" His hands silently clenched as he relived the demonic experience.

"No," she rushed to correct her mistake. "Not like that. I don't mean it the way you think."

He looked away. "Then how do you mean it?"

"I…," she fought for the words. She began to feel the blood seeping through his clothing. "Inuyasha! You're hurt! Why didn't you say anything?"

"No." He forced her to stay when she started to move away. "Answer my question."

His eyes stared at her with a ferocity she had never seen before. They were begging her for an answer that she didn't want to reveal. Her darkest secrets came to the tip of her tongue as her heart was stolen away with his gaze…or at least what little of it she still held.

"I…" she tried to hold it back.

"You?" He pushed her as far as she would go.

At the combination of his soothing voice and the intensity behind his amber stare, a dam broke through, and she poured out her soul. "I'm so scared that it won't be all right. I'm afraid that everything will get so messed up because of what I did to the jewel. What if this was never supposed to happen in the first place? What if everything goes wrong because of me? What if it's all my fault? What if I never get to see you…all after the jewel is completed? What will I do? How can you be so certain when…when I could lose you?"

Stunned wasn't even a way to begin to explain it. Shock overcame his body, and he stared at her with a glazed expression on his face. _'What is she saying? Does she want to stay here?'_

Kagome felt the tears brimming in her blue-gray eyes only moments before they stained her cheeks. _'He doesn't want me. I laid my heart on the line, and he doesn't want it. What do I do now?'_ "I'm s-so sorry." She pulled away again, but he held her firm.

"Kagome?" He turned her face with his thumb and index finger, smearing a small amount of blood across her cheek. "You don't want to leave?"

"No." She replied slowly.

"You want to stay here?"

She frowned. "Yes, of course I do. Where else would I want to be?"

"You really want to-."

"Yes!" She cut him off with a tilt of anger in her voice. _'Is he mocking me?'_

"I…I want you to stay too."

This time, it was her turn to stare. "You do?"

After a moment, he nodded.

"Why?" She asked in a small voice.

He frowned at her. "I've always wanted you to stay. I've wanted you to **always** be here since the moment I met you."

"But you-."

"I was a little angry."

She smiled. "A little?"

"Or a lot…" he smirked back.

She paused. "But why?" _'Say the words I want to hear.'_

A tinge of pink stained his cheeks. "You're home, Kagome. Since you've been here, I've always had a home. Wherever you are is where I have to be." He paused to let out a short sigh. "You once promised to stay by my side forever…would it be all right if I promised to stay by yours?"

A tear slid down her cheek. "I'd love that, Inuyasha."

She moved to give him a tight hug and laid her head against his shoulder. "You see, Inuyasha? That demon wasn't able to take you away from me. You were in your demon form after he was killed, but you still knew who I was. I knew that you could never hurt me."

He pulled back and looked at her face, still smudged with his red blood. "How can you think that?"

"Because, Inuyasha. Nothing about your demon form can change your heart." She replied, placing one hand against his heart. "And I know that you can always see you here because I always see you here." She placed a hand over her own heart. "No matter how angry or sad I may be."

He had never heard such senseless logic, but in his own soul he knew that it was true. To his heart, nothing had ever made more sense in his entire life. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and did what his heart told him to. He brushed his lips against hers for the shortest of moments, waiting for her response.

She gasped in shock at the gentle touch of skin against skin. Closing her own eyes, she leaned into him in response, allowing her mouth to tell him what she felt through actions.

The kiss was shy, gentle, and a little awkward at first. Neither attempted to mold their flesh against the other; it was simply a whisper of words through touch.

"I love you, Kagome." She felt the words he breathed against her mouth.

Smiling, she whispered in return. "I love you too, Inuyasha."

Skin met again.

A timid feeling of butterflies rushed through the pit of her stomach.

A slight flutter ran through his heart.

It was the most wonderful thing they had ever felt. It was home.

* * *

**Epilogue – Red**

* * *

_They say freak when you're singled out

* * *

_

He had been alone for so long that it was difficult to remember that he would never be alone again. He had a life with someone who was his world. He had a shelter through the storms of violent fury that rattled his brain, reminding him of the times when he was a true demon.

He remembered the times of scavenging and stealing to survive. He remembered being forced to learn the horrid ways when he was still just a small child. He could still see the burnt little hanyou learning about the evils of the mortal way. The human way.

A way he believed that he would never follow.

He could still hear the voices of men crying out at his shamed form. A disgrace to two races.

But, the words were steadily fading away to be replaced by a woman with ebony hair, blue-gray eyes, and the longest set of legs he had ever seen. He could hear her saying it everyday now. Repeating three little words that easily drowned out any other yell – "I love you."

He had soon realized after their gathering in the cave that he would never again be what he once had been because…he was no longer alone. He never would be again.

* * *

_But the red, well it filters through..._

* * *

"Kagome?" Sango waddled slowly into the room, holding her swollen belly and smiling like an idiot.

"Y-yes?" Her voice quivered with last minute jitters.

"Are you okay?" The older woman smiled. "You seem a little nervous."

She let out a deep breath. "I'm just fine. Do I look okay?"

Sango looked carefully over her appearance, as if searching for a single flaw. "Just perfect."

"Good." Kagome smiled. "Let's go, shall we?"

Sango walked out of Kaede's small hut and led her down the pathway to Goshinboku's comforting branches.

Kagome stayed a small distance behind and silently prayed. _'Goshinboku. You brought Inuyasha and I together, and so now I'm praying that you will bind us together for the rest of our lives. I know that things are complicated with my being from another time and all, but…I can promise to keep a secret if you can. I love my family dearly, and I praise you for allowing me to keep seeing them even after the jewel's completion,' _said jewel sparkled as it dangled around a silver chain on her neck._ 'But Inuyasha is my life. Inuyasha is my home. After all that we've been through, I can't help but pray for a little selfishness granted. Let me stay with him. Let me be his home, so that he can be mine. I will always be the "Miko of the Shikon no Tama," but I'm asking you now to let me be so much more. I pray that you let Inuyasha be happy for the rest of his life, and now I know that in order to do that I have to be here. So, please, just this once, answer this single selfish prayer.'_

"Kagome?" Sango turned to her. "We're here."

Nodding slowly, she waited for the pregnant woman to enter the newly built shrine in front of the blossoming Goshinboku before she made her entrance.

Her eyes focused on the steps so that she wouldn't trip in the overly long ceremonial kimono, but at the sound of a gasp she was forced to look up.

She couldn't help but to gasp too. Inuyasha stood just inside the doors of the shrine in a ceremonial black kimono that was made of the purest silk. She hadn't been able to believe him when he had shown it to her a few months before the ceremony. Who knew that the hanyou would happen to own more clothing than she could ever dream of having? He still hadn't told her where it had come from, but Myouga had hinted at a change in heart from a certain elder brother who just happened to have mated a young human woman.

Inuyasha stared at the woman who would be his forever. Someone had obviously gotten confused when they had decided that he could deserve so much. She was perfect. Never in a million years would he have guessed that she would have chosen a vibrant shade of red for her ceremonial kimono. She had refused to allow him to see it until this very moment, and now, he could perfectly understand. Her hair was held loosely up with two silver chopsticks that he had picked out for her on their last trip to his father's castle.

His father had given them to his mother when they had been married.

Kagome had cried when he told her the story.

The kimono itself, made by Kagome's own mother, varied slightly from the traditional ways. It was only two simple layers and allowed her to float across the room. The bottom was composed of a black layer, like his own, and the top was a brilliant blood red without pattern or design.

She smiled at him; her face glowing in the candle light of the shrine.

Her grandfather stood off to one side and her mother on the other. Sesshoumaru stood in the back with Rin, and Sango and Miroku stood in front of them.

Sango moved forward first, allowing them both to dip one finger in a shallow bowl of saki. Silently, they turned and touched each other's lips with the red liquid.

"What has been said in harshness will not be said again." Sango recited.

Miroku took the bowl and held it in front of them. Inuyasha took a sip, and turned the cup so that Kagome drank from the same place.

"Past sins are forgotten. Life is born anew." Miroku spoke.

Kagome's mother stepped up and took the bowl next. She placed two rings in the bowl and allowed them to drink from it again.

A tear slid down the older woman's cheek. "Like a circle, your love will never end."

Kagome's grandfather grasped the bowl and took the rings. Placing one on the correct finger, he spoke. "Bound forever, to reunite in each life after this."

Rin stepped forward and smiled while holding the bowl. She sprinkled a few drops of the liquid over their foreheads.

"Always to remember the love you share this day."

Finally, Sesshoumaru took the bowl and stood before them. Taking Kagome's hand first, he pricked her finger with Inuyasha's claw and allowed the blood to flow into the cup. Using the same claw, he cut Inuyasha's finger and watched the blood mix with the heady drink.

He turned the cup first to Inuyasha who took one drink, and then to Kagome who took the second from the same place where Inuyasha's lips had met with the wood.

"In strength, in weakness, in anger, and in love, to always hold and protect the one you love. To see love in times of darkness and in light. To be, Inuyasha and Kagome, forever."

The room fell silent as the two stood silently before one another. The air was filled with electricity from their gaze.

A scrape of the door against its slide made all heads turn as Shippou poked in to watch. Letting out a loud sigh, he yelled. "Inuyasha, you can kiss her now! Hurry! I want cake!"

Rin giggled.

Inuyasha sighed. Leaning his forehead against hers, he whispered. "I love you, Kagome."

"I love you too, Inuyasha." A twinkle sparkled in her eye. "Now, are you going to kiss me? Or do I have to make you?"

He smiled and allowed his lips to capture hers. The taste of sweetened alcohol and blood was passed from skin to skin as they completed their wedding ceremony.

Kaede greeted them and blessed them underneath the boughs of Goshinboku as they celebrated their matrimony with their family and friends.

Hours after the ceremony had ended, and far into the reception, Inuyasha tugged Kagome away from the noisy village and under the Goshinboku.

"Did you notice this?" He showed her the blood red blossoms of the ancient tree.

"No." She wondered at their beauty in amazement. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah." He replied simply.

She smiled sweetly. "I love this color."

He gave her a perverted grin. "Yes, I do believe that it is my favorite color now."

She laughed and hugged him tightly. "I wonder why…"

"Well, why do you like it so much?" He playfully batted her hair.

"Because," she gave him a light kiss on the lips. "It brought you back to me."

He nodded, distracted by the kiss. "Yes, it looks wonderful off of you."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You mean on me."

He smiled. "Yes, that too." And covered her mouth with a breath-taking feeling of skin on skin before she could reply.

* * *

**A/N: The End! Aw! Sweet, ne?**

**Yabou**


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